Screenshots are handy and very helpful in case you want to demonstrate or explain something to someone who cannot access it otherwise. One of the main uses of screenshots is to show bugs and errors or prove that you encountered it. You can also do guides or any kind of things that involve sharing your thoughts which can only be done with visual aids.
The technology behind computer screens moves at a fast pace, and sometimes it’s hard to keep up. Having the right screen recording tool on your machine is paramount if you want to maximize productivity and make the most out of knowledge.
There are a lot of screen recording software tools available for the Windows operating system. These include tools that are free and premium tools that require some payment to be made. The main reason why people use the best screen recording software for PC is to record their game play.
Recording video of your desktop/browser/ whatever, has become something of a thing. It’s easy to do, but finding the best tools to use is more difficult. There are quite a few apps out there, but not all of them have all the features that a power user might be looking for. I’ve tested quite a few of the free screen recording apps around, and these are my favourites.
What is a Screen Recording?
Is it not fun to watch all those ‘How To’ software guides on popular video platforms such as YouTube? What about live software functionality demonstrations broadcasted over the internet?
Contesting the novelty of these content pieces is out of the question. It makes you feel like you are handling the software product or service yourself without actually using it on your device. These videos are the result of a process called screen recording.
Screen recording involves the recording of a digital device’s screen and processes that are happening on it. An audio recording of events generally accompanies the record as they unfold on the device screen.
A screen recorder software, either downloaded or inbuilt, helps users capture and record their exact inputs and respective outputs on the device screen while the program is running – just like recording a long video.
Based on functionality, screencasting (coined in 2004) can also be broadcast live over different software platforms or recorded, stored, and distributed offline and online. Screen recording is different from a screenshot or a screengrab – which is just one picture of the screen.
Captivate
Captivate is a screen recording program that perfectly integrates with the Adobe Creative Cloud. You can use it to capture and export the contents of your screen as a video. The videos can be saved in MP4 format. One of the best features of this program is the fact that it allows users to easily import a PowerPoint presentation that can then be converted to an interactive multimedia module.
Price:$ 19.95
Supported OS: Windows and Mac
AceThinker
With AceThinker you can record what is happening on your screen in a single click. This program is relatively different from other similar tools in that it offers you different ways to record the video, even allowing users to schedule a recording. You can also use it to annotate the video in numerous ways.
Price:$ 29.95
Supported OS: Windows and Mac
TinyTake
TinyTake is a screen capture and desktop recording tool that is very useful when you want to create screen flow videos. It can also be used to take still screenshots of the screen and all videos and screenshot can be saved directly to the TinyTake cloud storage service, making it easy for you to share the videos online. It also has powerful annotation features that you can use to annotate the video during the recording process.
Price: $29.95
Supported OS: Windows and Mac
Animoto
Animoto is an easy tutorial video maker that allows you to create step-by-step tutorials in a matter of minutes, with no editing experience. To make a tutorial video, you simply need to choose a storyboard template, upload your photos and video clips, or select from the Getty Images stock library, and customize the template by changing the colors, adding text and music.
Cost: From $5/month (annual billing). Free 14-day trial.
Moovly
Moovly is another video tutorial maker with lots of great customizable video templates. You can make a tutorial video simply by dragging and dropping your images, clips, and music into pre-built templates. The tool allows you to quickly personalize everything: colors, footage, animated backgrounds, sounds, and more.
Cost: From $24.92/month (annual billing). Free trial.
Open Broadcaster
OBS Studio is a video maker and open broadcaster software designed specifically for video recording and live streaming. It’s more focused on recording gameplay, but it can also be used as a tutorial video maker. The studio records in HD in full-screen at 60 frames per second. It includes real-time video/audio capturing and mixing. Open Broadcaster provides robust editing options including different kinds of video and audio filters and custom transitions, but, overall, the tool has quite a steep learning curve, and creating tutorial videos with it requires some time for training. The software works both on Windows, Mac, and Linux.
Free Cam
Free Cam is a simple tutorial video maker that lets you create training videos for free, edit and publish them to YouTube, or save them as a 720p quality WMV video that you can share via any channel you wish. With Free Cam, you can record full screen or a selected area, record your voice and system sounds. The software also offers you an option to emphasize important details in your video tutorial by highlighting your mouse cursor and adding mouse click sounds. Creating a simple video is free, but there’s also a paid PRO version with additional features.
Snap 10
Ashampoo’s Snap 10 for Windows allows you to capture and edit anything on your screen including the entire screen, multiple windows at once, a web page, or individual sections, and turn them into images or videos. You can add arrows, graphics, automatic numbering, etc., to create self-explanatory steps. Live editing lets you add text, drawings, and voice narration rather than having to add them in post-production. Visually show mouse and button clicks within the video. Add watermarks, include information on the source page, and include other graphical metadata and links. Videos can also be converted to animated GIF’s.
Price: $49 | More Information
Open Broadcaster
Open Broadcast Software is a free open source software studio for Mac, Windows, and Linux that’s made specifically for video recording and live streaming. Designed with gamers in mind, it records directly from your graphics card in HD in full-screen at 60 frames per second. It includes real-time video and audio capturing and mixing to record unlimited scenes. You can switch between scenes using custom transitions. Video editing includes filters such as chroma, color correction, color keying, masking, etc. Audio filters include gain, noise gate, suppression, and VST plugin support adds even more features. It’s easy to configure and you can set up different configurations based on profiles. The studio mode lets you preview the video before publishing.
Price: $Free | More Information
Flashback
Flashback, from BlueBerry Software, is a screen recording app for Windows. It will record any part of your screen from multiple monitors to create a video file. It will also record from your webcam and will record audio. It includes pro editing tools so you can draw on the screen, add notes, callouts, text, images, cut, crop, add blur effects, synchronize audio with video, etc. The files will export to any major video format. Schedule your recordings and add watermarks, interactive buttons, create start and end titles, etc. Zoom in to any part of the recording and use auto-tracking for the mouse so the action stays in view.
Price: $99 | More Information
Ezvid Wikimaker
Ezvid Wikimaker is the world’s first video creator powered by voice synthesis. It was initially designed for researchers and journalists to turn text into video wikis, with a minimum of hassle, but you can also use Ezvid Wikimaker as a video tutorial app. It lets you create screen recordings and support them with text that is automatically transformed into narration. You can also enhance your tutorial videos with images and video clips.
CamStudio
CamStudio is a free tutorial video maker. It doesn’t have a lot of features, but it’s still a pretty handy tool for creating tutorial videos. CamStudio lets you record audio and your computer screen. You can add annotations and change the form of the cursor. As for the tutorial video itself, CamStudio offers a free set of options like time-lapse footage, frame rates, compression, and quality control. You can export your video in two formats: AVI and SWF.
Webinaria
Webinaria is a free open-source screen recording software. It provides all of the basic options you need to create a good tutorial video. With this tool, you can record a video of your screen – either a full screen or only a window – and you can also record audio and include texts. A major advantage of this software compared to other free software is that it lets you use your webcam and offers a built-in video editor to spruce up your video tutorial.
Screen-O-Matic
Screen-O-Matic is an easy-to-use screencast tool and tutorial video maker. Unlike the rest of the programs presented here, it’s not absolutely free. Still, the free plan offers enough options to create a video of decent quality. With Screen-O-Matic, you can record both your screen and webcam at the same time, publish your tutorial videos directly to Google Drive and YouTube, record audio narration, add captions, and stock music. The cons of the free version are the time limit of videos (15 min max) and the fact that it does not include a video editor.
Icecream Screen Recorder
Icecream Screen Recorder is a free screen capture software that lets you record screen and audio. It also offers webcam recording, which is useful for webinars. You can add text, arrows, and shapes to your tutorial video. Also, the tool’s features include simple customization (you can add your logo) and mouse click animation. The tool has a fairly simple interface.
Movavi Screen Recorder
Movavi Screen Recorder is a lightweight screen recording tool which is used for video streaming, capturing video calls, etc. It helps you to capture full HD video at 60 frames per sound.
Features:
- Record screen with a plug in, microphone or sound or to record a voice.
- Include a range of settings, including frame rate, and volume.
- You can cut and join video clips, without any hassle.
- This software helps you to record video even if you are away.
- It allows you to share results to Google Drive, Movavi Cloud, or YouTube.
- No special hardware is needed for capturing screen audio.
- You can record from any source, including mic, system sounds, and webcam.
What is the purpose of Screen Recording?
At its core, screen recording is useful for creating and saving video and audio-based content. However, the functionality fulfills multiple needs and necessities, based on the genre. Screen recording is considered a vital part of online education and entertainment worlds.
Screen recording software records data and content for educational purposes. That mathematics problem you have not been able to get around? No problem, witness how your professor solves it on his/her digital screen. E.g., organizational training videos by Ed-Tech companies for other organizations.
Screen recording assists in problem-solving. Software designers, developers, and quality personnel in IT organizations use this screencasting to analyze user flows throughout the system and pinpoint errors in live or recorded videos.
Beyond all uses, screen recording software helps disseminate legitimate first-hand reviews and how-to guides for viewers and prospective users’ benefit. E.g., recording the steps to be followed in an installation guide for easy installation of software.
It smoothens the user’s introduction to the software so that he/she becomes comfortable.
Screen recording systems are implementable in the hiring processes. The software saves digital or remote interview videos for later analysis. During remote organizational conclaves, screen recording is used to prepare a minute of the meeting document much later.
Conclusion
With the advancement in technology, video production software has also evolved. There are a number of free and paid screen recording tools for PC. You can use such software for creating product demos, training videos, tutorial videos, etc. These tools not only allow you to share any kind of information but also help you in increasing your clients’ trust on your company by providing knowledge regarding service and product offerings.
Choosing the right screen recording tool can be tricky, especially if you want to find one that’s easy to use but is also packed with features. In this article, we discuss the features in detail and analyze each tool so you don’t have to. You can rest assured that we have included all the best tools out there!